The Adelaide Crows have assumed sole possession of second place on the AFL ladder following their 74-point thrashing of the Western Bulldogs at Football Park.

Adelaide used the round 16 clash to post their 11th win of the season, the final score 16.13 (109) to 5.5 (35).

They trail the West Coast Eagles by 16 points on the ladder and are now a win clear of Geelong, Sydney and the Kangaroos.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are most likely out of the race for the finals due to the humiliating defeat, their 10th of the season.

Scott Welsh and Brett Burton led the scoring for the Crows with three goals each while Trent Hentschel and Ken McGregor both recorded doubles.

The Bulldogs had no multiple goal kickers, the visitors only managing one major in the second half of the match.

Adelaide shot out of the blocks to kick the opening three goals of the first quarter, the early onslaught leaving the Bulldogs somewhat shell-shocked.

Welsh kicked the first two goals, both from set-shots, the Adelaide forward providing an excellent target inside the attacking 50 for his team-mates.

Ben Hudson completed the treble of unanswered goals for the home side, and with the inclusion of a minor score the Crows had leapt out to a 19-point lead.

The Bulldogs were forced to make the most of their limited opportunities and they did just that, with Adam Cooney kicking a superb running goal to open his side's account.

Hentschel provided a six-point response for Adelaide before Mitch Hahn kicked the Bulldogs' second major on the stroke of quarter-time.

At the first change, the Crows led 4.2 (26) to 2.0 (12).

The second term started in similar fashion to the first with Welsh kicking his third goal soon after the resumption of play.

The visitors had an immediate response through Brad Johnson, the Bulldogs captain running into the goal square to register a major after team-mate Sam Power had worked the ball forward into the attacking 50 from the centre bounce hit-out.

Both sides enjoyed attacking opportunities as the second quarter wore down but it was the Crows that managed the next major of the match through Burton.

Andrew McLeod took advantage of a lack of defensive pressure from the Bulldogs inside the 50 to find Burton, who took an uncontested mark and goaled from the set-shot.

Scott Thompson kicked Adelaide's seventh goal soon after to open up a 30-point lead, but the Bulldogs made a late impression on the scoreboard when Nathan Eagleton recorded a major close to half-time.

At the main break, the Crows led 7.7 (49) to 4.0 (24).

Second half

The Crows built on their 25-point lead from half-time early in the third quarter.

McGregor registered a major after taking a superb contested mark inside the goal square, after a kick from team-mate Ian Perrie had fallen short.

McLeod backed up McGregor's effort moments later when he goaled form the left half-forward flank, before Robert Murphy grabbed one back for the Bulldogs midway through the term.

Murphy's goal was the Bulldogs' fifth from as many scoring shots, the visitors not having posted a behind by that stage of the match.

Ben Hart responded for Adelaide with a long-range effort from outside the attacking 50, before the Bulldogs finally recorded three minor scores as play approached three-quarter time.

The Crows, however, were intent on heading into the final change with another goal and they achieved just that when Burton snapped his second major.

At three-quarter time, Adelaide led 11.9 (75) to 5.3 (33).

With the result of the match beyond doubt, the fourth quarter was played in unspectacular fashion.

The Bulldogs recorded two behinds before McGregor kicked his second six-pointer, a carbon copy of his first.

Perrie had launched an uninspiring kick on goal, only for it to lack distance and instead be marked by McGregor amid a contesting pack of players.

Hentschel doubled his total after taking an acrobatic mark in the goal square while Mark Ricciuto joined the scorers' list late in the term.

The Crows finished off the match with majors to Brent Reilly and Burton.

Reilly's goal came courtesy of Tyson Edwards, who had taken a mark while carrying a facial cut that forced him from the field.

Edwards' departure allowed Reilly to take the shot on goal, an opportunity with which he made no mistake.